The book presents the basic economic and political ideas of Karl Marx. Freedman shows that Marx had a love/hate relationship with capitalism, explicates the Marxist theory of social change - historical materialism - and discusses the Marxist ideal of communism. He finds that Marx's contemporary popularity results more from the distrust of capitalist civilization, its inequities and insecurities, than from the achievement of the so-called Marxist societies.
The appeal of Marxism; the scope of Marxist thought; a positive look at Marxism; the plan of the book; Hegel and Feuerbach; from Hegel to Marx; Hegel and the question of philosophy; Feuerbach's contribution; Feuerbach compared with Hegel; Marx on Hegel; theses on Feuerbach; the theory of alientation; Hegel's alienation and the dialectical process; Marx's critique of Hegel; Marx on alienation; alienation and political economy; economic systems prior to capitalism; unalienated labour - the "ancients"; the history of alienated labour; the history of dissolution in England; Marx's conclusion; scientific socialism, socialism and anarchism; Marx on other socialisms; socialism - scientific and utopian; socialism and anarchism; the materialist conception of history; the material base of human history; further explanations of the materialist conception; commodity fetishism; what materialism is and is not; the economic interpretation of history; classes; social classes; political economy and the class system; the "free laborer"; the class struggle of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat; the superstructure; ideology; the state; religion; marriage; civial liberties; capitalism - value and price; the meaning of value; the theory of exploitation; accumulation and the falling rate of profit; market prices and market values; capitalism - crises and breakdown; capitalism and accumulation; the reserve army of the unemployed; crises; communism; capitalism under siege; political upheaval and force; transition; communism triumphant; the economy under communism; the state under communism; evaluation, summary and critique; the Marxist utopia; alienation; exploitation; Marxist science; capitalism - value and price; capitalism - crises and breakdown; the future of socialism; Marx as a young man; student days; Marx the journalist; further intellectual development; Pierre Proudhon; the manifesto of the communist party; Marx in England; Ferdinand Lassalle; the first international; Mikhail Bakunin; the Franco-Prussian war and the Paris commune; last years, last works.
